Children of Medjugorje Newsletter

December 10, 2013 Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On December 2, 2013, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the blue Cross, surrounded by pilgrims, but less than usual because of the winter season. After the apparition, Mirjana transmitted the following message: "Dear children!  With a motherly love and a motherly patience I am looking at your ceaseless wandering and how lost you are. That is why I am with you. I desire to help you to first find and come to know yourself, so that, then, you would be able to recognize and to admit everything that does not permit you to get to know the love of the Heavenly Father, honestly and wholeheartedly.  My children, the Father comes to be known through the Cross. Therefore, do not reject the Cross. Strive to comprehend and accept it with my help. When you will be able to accept the Cross you will also understand the love of the Heavenly Father; you will walk with my Son and with me; you will differ from those who have not come to know the love of the Heavenly Father, those who listen to Him but do not understand Him, those who do not walk with Him - who have not come to know Him. I desire for you to come to know the truth of my Son and to be my apostles; that, as children of God, you may rise above the human way of thinking and always, and in everything, seek God's way of thinking, anew. My children, pray and fast that you may be able to recognize all of this which I am seeking of you. Pray for your shepherds and long to come to know the love of your Heavenly Father, in union with them. Thank you." 2. Question: Last Christmas, what happened that was so exceptional? On December 25, 2012, the visionary Marija was completely aghast to see that during her apparition, Mary gave no message. This had never happened before, especially on Christmas day, when Our Lady always comes very happy. This time however, it was the Child Jesus who spoke!  He lifted Himself up on His Mother's arms and said, with great authority: "I am your peace. Live my commandments!" The event shook us up! A newborn spoke!!  However, it turns out too few people took it to heart to listen to the Child Jesus and his cry to us!  Too bad!  Living God's commandments is to follow the signposts in the road to heaven, and obtain true peace!             That is why I suggest to all to offer a wonderful birthday gift to the Child Jesus this year, namely to read and re-read the commandments given to Moses (they don't have an expiry date), and the commandments given by Jesus in the Gospel, so that we can put them all into practice, (see PS2). That would be the most beautiful of all gifts, to thank Him for coming in His Mother's arms this Christmas again, and into our hearts with every Eucharist.              Then, based on these "10 Words" (as the Jews name them), let's go to a priest to confess our transgressions and sins most sincerely, so as to come to Christmas with a heart that is pure and light. Then, let's joyfully celebrate!             The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives splendid explanations for each one of the 10 commandments. They are all based on love and revealed by love, for the purpose of love. "Whoever loves me, says Jesus, is he who has my Words and keeps them!" 3. With Christmas approaching, we are tempted to be nervous, and be swept away by the wave of the world that transformed Christmas into a huge financial operation. We are put under pressure: Go shopping; go to the mall; buy a growing list of presents, cook. So many see the coming of Christmas with anguish because of the imperatives that society imposes on them, while they dream of living Christmas in the warmth and simplicity of the Holy Family with those who are close to them. Assuredly, we should know how to "celebrate". Jesus was the first one to celebrate Holidays well, but the Holiday is made for man and not man for the Holiday! Especially today, one could be sullen considering the horrors that our leaders are imposing on us at all levels, considering the decreasing thickness of our wallets, and the crises that don't seem to be getting better. Isn't this a sign that God wants us to spend Christmas with Him this year in a more Christian way? It is first and foremost the anniversary of the birth of the Infant Jesus, and he has huge treasures to give to us! In particular, he will give us the love of life! Let's not miss this present!  I know an ex-Satanist who had done terrible things as part of his initiation in a child-stealing network, but I won't say any more about his actions. He underwent numerous exorcisms, and became Christian. After 12 years of a profound Christian life, he confided in me this terrible fact about his life, "You know, when I see the picture of a newborn on the wall, I can feel a wave of hatred rising in me, yes, still now! I need time to push it away and welcome in me the love of God for life, and for children." The enemy hates human life of which he is jealous, and his number one plan is the destruction of the Family, the basis of human life. If he succeeds in corrupting and destroying the family, the nest of life created by God, he will have destroyed humanity and he will be glad. But he will not succeed! Why? Because God is intervening today like never before, among other things through His Mother, to call us and show us the way! The enemy will not succeed because Jesus and Mary have called us! Yes, you and me, all of us her "dear children" as she calls us, to live with Them and bring divine peace where it has disappeared. "In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph!" This is the nicest prophecy of Mary, often expressed in her messages. Mary thanks all her children who take her triumph to heart and advance it by their humble faithfulness. The Gospa is counting on you as much as on me! She is going to give us her Child again at Christmas because, "A Child has been born unto us, a Son has been given to us!" as Isaiah wrote. And this "us" is us!  Dear brothers and sisters, Christmas is our healing! Evil will crash against the innocence of the Child Jesus! We need a child to put an end to our rejection of children, of life, of the human family! We need the Child Jesus to vanquish in us the fear of living and giving life! 3. Is your manger ready?  The Gospa invites us to set up our Nativity scenes at the beginning of Advent, so that we can wait with her, during her loving and maternal expectation of her child. She also invites us, as a family, to read excerpts from the Bible about the Advent season (at least the texts read at mass), and to share them among us, thus reinforcing the unity of hearts in the family.  (We may also read the stories of the Childhood revealed to Blessed Anna Katharina Emmerick. These need not be taken literally, as if it were a new Gospel. But the images may help some to better perceive the coming of the Messiah to Bethlehem.) Finally she invites us to outdo ourselves in generosity, mostly toward people who are alone, suffering, poor, or weak. Not forgetting that the poor are not only those who have nothing. Many of the rich live a great inner poverty. "There are people who are so poor that they only have money!" says our Pope Francis. Christmas is when the most suicides occur, according to Psychiatric hospitals reports!   But Christmas day is also when the most souls leave Purgatory to enter Heaven! 4. Yes, the Pope said... "Curiosity can lead us to have the wrong focus, making us want to say, 'I know a visionary who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady.' But look, Our Lady is the Mother of everyone and she loves all of us. She is not a postmaster, sending messages everyday." These words created doubt among some people: did the Pope have Medjugorje in mind? Of course, not! These words do not concern Medjugorje, it is just the opposite, they protect Medjugorje from false visionaries who interfere in groups and give messages to whoever is looking for them. In addition, it would be good to keep in mind that the pope knows and believes in Medjugorje. 5. Remember to prepare your list of Saints so that you can draw your companion for the year when you come together in the family, or in your prayer groups. The list is available online, below the featured video on the homepage of our website, www.childrenofmedjugorje.org Dearest Gospa, we beg you as never before, please outdo yourself in your intercession this Christmas, spiritual warfare is raging! Who else but you has received from God the power and the mission to crush the head of the serpent? Please fulfill our hearts with your Child, and make this Christmas the most joyful one ever! Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French)